As a young boy, Benny showed an early talent for violin. He
brought his violin talents with him onto the vaudeville stage, where he learned
that he was especially adept at comedy. It was here that he met his future
wife, Mary Livingstone. In 1932, he started on radio with “The Jack Benny
Program,” a half-hour comedy that featured guest stars such as Frank Sinatra,
Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and George Burns. The radio show lasted until 1955.

He brought "The Jack Benny Program" to television in 1950,
where it aired until 1965. He continued to host television specials until 1974.

In addition to his radio and television programs, Benny
appeared in numerous films, most notably “To Be or Not To Be” and “George
Washington Slept Here.” He (along with his Jack Benny Program cast members)
went on numerous USO tours during World War II and the Korean War to entertain
the troops.

Although portrayed as an incredibly cheap man in his
programs, Benny was very charitable in life. In his later years, he traveled to
countless cities to perform concerts to support local symphonies. Benny died
from cancer Dec. 26, 1974.

The Jack Benny collection contains numerous scripts from his
radio and television programs. Many are Benny’s original radio scripts that he
signed, and contained his notes and edits. Many photographs are in the
collection, including some with Benny pictured with other celebrities and on
his USO tours.

The collection offers some film of his programs, including
most of his TV specials. A fairly substantial amount of his financial files are
included, as is correspondence, including condolence letters sent to his wife after
his death. The collection also contains sheet music, much of it handwritten and
arranged especially for Benny.

The AHC is UW’s manuscripts repository, university
archives and rare books library. It is one of the largest and most actively
used non-governmental primary source repositories in the United States. In
addition to outstanding collections that document the history of most aspects
of the Rocky Mountain West, the AHC has internationally acclaimed holdings in
popular entertainment (TV, radio and film), aviation and aerospace, railroads,
journalism, conservation, aspects of U.S. military history, economic geology
and ranching. Its award-winning website is at http://www.uwyo.edu/ahc/.

Photo:Photograph of Jack Benny with an unidentified actress,
Paramount Pictures, 1939. This is among the photos in the Jack Benny Collection
at the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center. (AHC Photo)